Download Pupils born 1910s

Syllabus
1910s/20s pupils
KK/P23/HiE8 born 1923. PS + GS, East London NB INTERVIEWED
“For the years I was there our History syllabus for the Generals School Certificate covered the period
1485 to 1815 and we were taught the history of that period progressively through five years. We
retained the same History master throughout, and his method was to concentrate mainly on political
history.”
JC/P24/HiE9 born 1924. PS + GS, Oxford.
Secondary school - “I can remember 1066 and Harold’s arrow in the Eye. The crusades. Stephen &
Maud (there were connections with Oxford). Caxton’s Printing Press. The Agricultural Revolution.
Rotation of crops. Turnip Townsend. Strips of land rented out by the Lord of the Manor. Translations
of the Bible. The Civil War. When did you last see your Father. Fairfax. Priest holes. Latimer Cranmer
& Ridley. Elizabeth. Drake – Columbus. Mary Queen of Scots. Industrial revolution. The Black
Country. The Luddites. Pitt the Elder – Pitt the Younger. Lord Salisbury. Victoria Regina . Disraeli. The
Crimean War. Florence Nightingale.
Also says in covering letter – “..we started, if I remember correctly, with Edward the Confessor,
Ethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great and the Norman Invasion.
“Each ruler would be mentioned but more time was spent on the discoveries and the revolutions not
only political but Agricultural and Industrial”
For School Cert, “Our history paper included the ‘Causes of the Crimean War’. We learnt those by
heart.”
MP/P24/HiE2 born 1924. PS & County High (GS) Ilford. Also did Teacher form.
“My Sixth form years (wartime) gave me the advantage of some one-to-one teaching and the
challenge of a then unusual Special Subject Paper III topic for HSC – The Partition of Africa 18701914, studied alongside Africa South of the Sahara for HSC Geography.”
AW/P27/HiE3 born 1927. PS & GS, Liverpool.
“It was assumed you knew all your primary school history, and senior history started at 1066 with
William and Harold. Major events in history were dealt with in the following five years. King John,
Henry VII/VIII, Mary, Elizabeth, problems with Spain, Mary Q of Scots, William and Mary and the Irish
problem(remembering that 50% of Liverpool’s population and schools were Irish Catholic), then a
skim through the George’s (sic) and Victoria, her politicians, many tedious Acts of Parliament, the
Boar (sic) War and WW1.”
“...we had a brief outline of the history of the Union of States, the slave trade/cotton trade, the
battles with the French over parts of Canada. The Declaration of Independence. This was at Sixth
Form level..
“..we also included the Unification of Italy and Germany”.
“Local history was also important”.
EF/P27/HiE11 born 1927. Oldham PS & HS.
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“I think the history curriculum concerned prehistory in the first form and British history up to about
1600 ad in the second and third forms.
“The fourth form dealt with British history progressively from the Tudor dynasty to the Napoleonic
wars. I did not study history after the fourth form”.
VR/P28/HiE10 born 1928, private schools + El School, Devon+ GS, London (evacuated to Oxford)
“In 1943, I was started on the period for the School Certificate, which was English History from 1880
to 1931, and European History from 1878 to 1931, and my memory for this period is far better –
though that’s not saying much!
“English History was divided into different aspects: Legislation, Colonies, the rise of Trade Unions,
the Feminist Movement, and so on. European History was divided into the different countries with
which we were concerned at the time, notably France, Germany and Russia.
“On English history, I remember the election of 1902, when a Liberal Government under Campbell
Bannerman was returned, and the same party was returned with a larger majority, and a lot
followed from that. On the colonies, the date of 1931 was that of the Statute of Westminster, which
accorded Dominion Status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (inter alia?). On the
Trade Unions, the Taff Vale case and one other which established the right of Trade Unions to call a
strike without being sued for damages by the employers. On the Feminist Movement, the Married
Women’s Property Act of 1882, the Suffragettes and the Suffragists, with the eventual realisations of
their objectives, in that they acquired the right to vote at age 30 in 1918 and at 21 in 1928 (the year I
was born)”.
DE/P29/HiE16 born 1929. Elementary School Bolton + GS Bolton.
“We did History in School Certificate in 1944. Periods studied UR to Rome; Norman Conquest; Wars
of Roses; Tudors.
“At HSC level Europe – Franco-Italian wars to 1815. England – Stuarts and up to 19C”.
WL/P29/HiE19 born 1929. PS Stoke-on-Trent, GS Newcastle, Staffs.
“6th form. Higher School Certificate. Oxford & Cambridge Syllabus. Topics – English Constitutional
History 1066-1307. European Political History 476 – 14? (fall of Constantinople) [his figures + q mark
but these dates not clear – fall of C is 1453] . Special subject - Edward 1. General Paper. Subsidiary –
English Medieval Economic History”.
JW/P29/HiE13 born 1929. PS & Romford County High.
Topics:
Year 1: Tudor period, mainly Henry VIII and Elizabeth
Year 2: Ancient Brits, Romans, Dark Ages
Year 3: Saxons, Normans, some Welsh and Scottish history
Year 4: early 17thC to late 18thC. At last some political history introduced
Year 5: Plantagenets and Wars of Roses
JP/P29/HiE5 born 1929. Private PS I think & GS, Tulse Hill.
“I think we went through early modern history in forms 3 & 4, but concentrated on the 19th Century
thereafter. The years were 1789-1914. In the 6th form we included European history – mostly
political, but some economic.
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“I acquired Trevelyan’s ‘Social History of England’ and absorbed it.
SK/P29/HiE6 born 1929. PS + Junior Commercial School, Bristol NB INTERVIEWED
“At Junior Commercial we covered the whole period from Romans to about 1918, seen mostly from
the point of view of how people lived, and, from the late 18th century, major legislation passed. We
spent some time learning about Factory Acts, Trade Unions and the Agrarian and industrial
Revolutions. We also learnt about the French Revolution and the unification of Germany. Earlier on
we did the 3-fields.”
1930s pupils
AB/P30/HiE30 born 1930. PS +Modern School, Hinckley, Leics.
“I have found that I still have my old history book from this time. My first written page (exercise
book size) was headed Prehistoric Britain. The ‘Ancient Civilisation’ then Romans which took us up to
410AD. This used all of 6 pages of the book. We then jumped to William Shakespeare and I had stuck
a picture of Elizabeth 1 on the page. The Pilgrim Fathers warranted a page and a half, then it was the
Plague and the fire of London. There is a family tree from Henry Seventh to James the First of
England. Then AN Appreciation of Sir Robert Walpole. Causes and effects of the war of |American
Independence got two whole pages and then we were on to the French Revolution. The next
heading is Admiral Nelson. There are several places where we must have had tests of some sort as I
have answers to short questions. After ‘Transport through the ages’ we are on to Robert Owen and
Florence Nightingale. Bismarck and the German Empire is followed by Louis Pasteur and Cecil
Rhodes, Marie Curie and The Growth of the Co-operative Society.
“At the start of the autumn term 1944 we reached the Twentieth Century and ‘From bicycle to
aeroplane’. And the Women’s Suffrage Movement. I left school at Christmas as I was 14 in the
October.”
NH/P31/HiE35 born 1931. PS + GS, Huyton, Prescot (Liverpool)
“We studied the History of England for the first 3 years. Scotland, Wales and Ireland only featured
when there were appropriate battles involving them as opponents.
“For our (Oxford University) School Certificate year (I was doing a 4-year course along with a third of
our initial intake. The others did a 5-year course) we switched to the History of the British Empire.
Thus my knowledge of English history ended in 1814 and Queen Victoria never featured unless as
part of our British |empire studies. We never touched upon the Great War 1914 / 18.
“In addition we had occasional lessons on Local History (and Local Geography). A non-examination
topic”.
JT/P32/HiE188 born 1932. PS, Hounslow + Direct Grant, Hammersmith, London. Evacuated GS,
Dorset.
A five year course – starting with Greeks/Romans & ending in 1914. Evacuated in 2nd year, so missed
Medieval period! ... In VIth form took extra )-level in Economic History. I particularly enjoyed the VI
form where I specialised in Victorian history.
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DG/P33/HiE20 born 1933. PS Pinner, Middx. Direct Grant, Hammersmith, London.
“Egyptian (especially excavating Tutankhamen’s tomb) NB INTERVIEWED
Roman Britain
Medieval Britain
Elizabeth I
Industrial Revolution
Repeal of the Corn Laws
Crimean War”
DH/P33/HiE43 born 1933. PS (5 in Bournemouth & Ryde – 2 bombed), Sec Mod, GS, Isle of Wight.
“We studied British History from ancient Britain to the Saxons, the Romans, the Normans etc until
we got to the early Middle Ages, when we were told we could set that aside. The School certificate
History Curriculum was British History (quite a lot of European History) from 1820 to 1920 so in the
4th and 5th form we studied just that”.
MA/P36/HiE133 born 1936. Private, PS + GS, Southampton
“We followed a basically chronological syllabus, starting with Anglo-Saxon England.
“Yr 7/8 Anglo-Saxon migration. Vikings. Norman Conquest. Castles. Churches. Crusades. Black Death.
“Yr 9 Henry VII. Voyages of Discovery. English Civil War.
“Yr 10 Agricultural & Industrial Revolution. American & French Revs. Growth of British Empire. NO
‘O’LEVEL
Yr 11-13 ‘A’ Level English & European History 1815-1914. Empire in Reign of Victoria.
JD/P38/HiE50 born 1938. PS, El School, GS, Stamford, Lincs.
In primary school: “I think our history learning was based on early English times touching the
Romans (pretty good particularly with the advent of Christianity); Vikings, rather poor on the whole
but, we small boys knew of the Danes and Danelaw, Stamford being one of the Danelaw towns. We
were also well drilled in the tales of Hereward –the-Wake and Arthur and cakes! We also were
pretty well aware, at the other end as it were, of the British Empire (almost always spoken of in
CAPS) and maps were on walls covered in pink partly geography but we were quite aware of the
recent WWII and the contribution of Empire (Commonwealth).”
“The first three years in grammar school were, I’m fairly sure, devoted to a sort of gallop through
early pre-history, Romans, Greeks and onwards with a touch of Bede, the Danes again and so forth
through all the kings and queens up to Elizabeth 1. Pretty much concentrating on the English with
small forays into early America (Raleigh, Cabot etc) but with hardly any reference to Europe except
when ‘we’ (English) won. The year before GCE took up rather more of the James I through to Victoria
mostly English biased but touched into the American War of Independence and acquisition of
Empire. For GCE I think it was two papers on two areas of English history. I have no memory of
anything European. For A level much more interesting both European (Renaissance & Reformation)
and pretty much the same for English plus 1688 to 1900 with a specialist paper which for my years
was 1688 to 1714 and this was given a fair amount of study using copies of original documents etc. I
also did a second A level linked in to make History with Foreign Texts (ie Hist + For Txts = two A
levels). The foreign text bit was French (Michelet & Voltaire) and Latin (Tacitus + and extract from
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the history of Emma/Aegilfu (Cnut’s second wife?) with unseen papers in both languages. I failed the
Latin unseen and hence achieved only history.
JS/P39/HiE41 born 1939. PS + GS, Manchester.
“I think the first and second from covered British (English) history, probably up to the Stuarts.
Thereafter the course was geared to O level GCE History, which we took at the age of 15(to allow a
third year in the sixth form for Oxford & Cambridge entrance). I remember the rise of Prussia, the
French revolution and the British Reform acts of the 19th century, although they may have come into
A level history.
JR/P39/HiE45 born 1939. PS + GS, Mansfield, Notts.
“1) English history from 1066 (1st 3 years)
2) 19th Century (O Level) – Prime Ministers, wars, reform acts, factory acts, corn laws etc
3) 17th Century (A level) – English &European + Special paper on Louis XIV (which tied in with A.L.
French).”
DG/P39/HiE37 born 1939. PS + GS, Kingsbury, Middx (few months in Wiltshire elementary village
school ?evacuated). NB Also completed Teacher form.
“Standard Gr. Sch. Curriculum, Forms 1-5.
“Form
I Ancient Civs + M.Ages
II Tudors + Stuarts
III UK (mostly English) 18 C + 19C
IV} GCE 19C (‘Long’) Brit + Europe
V}
I did 2 x A L subjects in Yrs 5 + 6! Then 2 more + State Scholarship in 6² + 6³
RW/P39/HiE125 born 1939. (Prep schools, Leeds, Middlesex )+ Direct grant, Hull
Age 11-15 English & British history from prehistoric to 1914: mainstream topics, mainly political, but
also the agrarian & industrial revolutions. Also the French Revolution & the Indian Mutiny (as it was
then called).
For ‘O’Level: Reform Acts, Palmerston, Disraeli, Gladstone (inc. Ireland), the Liberal Government
1906-14. Also events leading to the American Civil War.
Age 15-18 (Sixth Form): English medieval history from the Anglo-Saxons to 1216; ‘Tudors & Stuarts’;
the revolt of the Netherlands, the Thirty Years War; the unification of Germany & Italy; Hobbes &
Locke.”
TM/P41/HiE174 born 1941. PS + GS, Keighley, W Yorks. (History teacher – and his exercise books
lent for copying. Also did Teacher form.)
“From the 1st year, history was timetabled as 2 single periods of 40 mins per week.
“The syllabus was a chronological study of mainly English and empire history. It gave us the
impression that all human activity was part of a continuum. We started up in the second (8) year
where we had finished in the 1st Year. The syllabus covered: the Stone and Metal Ages – briefly;
classical civilisations; Romans in Britain; Anglo-Saxons and Danes; Norman Conquest; Aspects and
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selected events of medieval history. This occupied the 1st 3 years. In year 4 – with the headmaster
we covered the Tudors and Stuarts – very much from a political angle. The economic effects but not
the adventurous detail of the voyages were embraced. I didn’t know much about the soldiers and
tactics of the Civil War until I prepared to teach the period myself. It was something of a ‘grownups’, young gentleman’s – not a children’s – approach. The head worked in some hammy thespian
stuff but we still followed the same note-taking method until the last term when we were expected
to make our own notes – from about the time of Queen Anne up to around 1780. We had assistance
through the scribbling of blackboard headings to guide us. He gave us one or 2 essays to write.
Clearly we were being prepped for ‘O’ Level. Also in the 4th we had 1 period a week, last on
Thursday, for Roman History. This was taught to the Latin form as if to prep candidates for ‘O’ and
‘A’ Latin.
“The 5th Year (11) was the ‘O’ Level syllabus. English political history to about 1880. Then some real
excitement with Russian History 1905-1939; WWI; Weimar and the rise of Hitler. Our teacher had
been in Germany in the 30s and told us of the overt abuse of Jewish citizens. This C20th stuff was
engrossing and gave us much scope for choice in the actual examination. Essays were set for
homework and reading from the class textbook.
“Our A level syllabus was JMB English History – 1715 to c1870 and European History 1618 to 1870.”
PD/P41/HiE171 born 1941. PS + GS, Leeds
“In the 1st year at Grammar School – Greek & Romans.
3rd Year – Clive of India. General Wolfe.
4th Year – Gladstone, Disraeli etc.
‘A’ Level – Stuart England. European History.
EL/P42/HiE59 born 1942. Mainly RC schools, not clear if state. Kent.
“At my final school [1954-1958] ...we covered from the Tudors up to about 1900 including mainland
Europe. In the final years and for GCE 1815 to 1900 was covered in some depth.”
RH/P42/HiE71 born 1942. PS, London + PS + GS, Norfolk.
“First year in High School we started with the Romans and spent the next five years working through
to the end of Queen Victoria. No social history, just political, and nothing European or global, except
where it impinged on Gt Britain. I don’t think there was much between the Romans and William the
Conqueror, Alfred, ‘Dark Ages’. We went from William through Normans & Angevins, Crusades,
Plantagenets, war of roses, Tudors Henry 8 & wives (again) & Elizabeth, Stuarts, Oliver Cromwell etc
the Georges with the American war of Independence industrial revolution and onto Q Vic. the
expansion of the Empire, slave trade, Rhodes, Hudson Bay Co Clive of India all that. Heroes and some
heroines – Grace Darling Eliz Fry. (Very much NOT Mary Wollstencroft)”
RW/P43/HiE57 born 1943. PS + GS, Northumberland. N.B. INTERVIEWED
“In the first form we began with the Greeks and Romans and gradually reached 1939 in time for ‘O’
level. A level was the Tudors and Stuarts.”
SW/P43/HiE65 born 1943. PS + GS, Enfield, Middx.
“We started with the Babylonians & worked through chronologically, learning important dates.”
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DS/P44/HiE58 Dina Smith born 1944. PS + GS, Chelmsford, Essex. GS, Cheltenham
“We covered History from the beginning, European, World as well as England. I have rather a gap
after the Middle Ages as we didn’t get to that period! O level was 19th Century, up to the First War
and then A level was one paper on English and one on Europe, 1750 on. I loved the Industrial
Revolution, the changes in farming etc. No subject was boring.”
PS/P44/HiE67 born 1944. PS +?GS, Fulham, London
“We learned from the 1st year up to my last year, from the Normans up to Charles II.
ZM/P44/HiE1 born 1944. PS + GS, SW London.
“Particular memories of 1815-1914 when inspirational teacher fired my enthusiasm age 15/16 as she
helped us understand how 19C history in Europe set the stage for 20C events & modern day. Also –
History of Russia from Peter the Great to Czar Nickolas II for A level.
ES/P45/HiE74 born 1945. PS +GS, SE London.
“The first three years were a ‘canter’ through world history from Ur on, then running on to UK
history from the dark ages to 19th century. This put us and the UK into context and some
perspective. Fourth and fifth years preparing for and taking GCE studying 1066-1485.”
RC/P45/HiE68 born 1945. ?Prep school + GS, Handsworth, Birmingham
“ I can remember in my first year at grammar school we started from scratch as it were: pre-history.
Then ancient civilisations up to the Greeks and Romans. I cannot recall in great detail subsequent
years although I’m sure we studied English history as I can recall the English Civil War.
“My overriding memories though are of studying history in the 6th form. We studied European
history from the Renaissance up to the outbreak of WWII. In parallel, we also studied British history
from Waterloo in 1815 up to the outbreak of WWI. Although the British history may have sounded
‘dull’, in fact I can recall that it proved extremely interesting as it was the age of reform”.
AM/P46/HiE129 born 1946. PS + ? private convent GS, Tyne and Wear
“We started with the Romans in Form 1 and worked through chronologically. At O Level we studied
1815-1914 except that we never reached past about 1870. At A level we did 1485-1700 both British
and European. We did British one year and European the next.”
MA/P46/HiE60 born 1946. PS + GS, Scunthorpe.
“At Primary level, history was mainly about explorers eg Magellan, Marco Polo, Chrisotropher
Columbus. “
GS “1st year (aged 10-11 years): Mesopotamia and beginning of civilisation...
2nd year: The Romans in Britain ...
3rd year: ... 1485 up to Henry VIII.
4th + 5th year (age 15-16 years): .. European history”.
PD/P47/HiE194 born 1947. Infants, Beds, PS + GS, Dorchester, Dorset.
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“1st two years ancient history; cannot remember third years (Anglo Saxons?); fourth year medieval
entered for O level a year early ...; fifth year Tudor and Stuart – non-examined. Sixth Form Early
Modern English and European ...”
NT/P47/HiE77 born 1947. PS + Indpt School with LA places, Solihull.
“KS3 equivalent: ...[included] C18th + Industrial Revolution
“A level: Chartism, Economic History - 1700-1900
European History – C17th / C18th
English History – C17th + C18th”.
LC/P47/HiE61 born 1947. PS + Grammar Tech School, Durham. [Also did teacher form]
“We worked through from Anglo-Saxons through to Oliver Cromwell – not much after that as I did
not do it at ‘A’ level.”
RL/P48/HiE75 born 1948. PS + GS, York.
“... I think we started with the Normans which was a bit daft given York’s earlier history. We then
continued steadily through the centuries – all English history. The O Level course was ‘English and
European history 1815-1914’.”
LM/P49/HiE179 born 1949. PS +Sec Mod (with grammar stream she was in), Morden, Surrey.
“My memory is of the curriculum for GCE ‘O’ level, when the period we studied was 20th century.”
SD/P49/HiE63 born 1949. PS + GS, Staines & Ashford, Middx.
“In my first year at Grammar School we ..covered the ancient civilisation of Mesopotamia & Egypt. ...
Again history [as with primary school] I am sure was dealt with on a chronological basis. ‘O’ level
certainly took in the period of the Industrial Revolution. ‘A’ level was English History of the Tudors &
Stuarts, together with European history of the same period of time (I think that last statement vis a
vis European history is true).
JL/P49/HiE66 born 1949. PS + GS, Liverpool.
“...can't remember years. 7,8,9. ‘O’ Level 1964 - Topics; American Civil War; Clive in India;
Napoleon.”